Breed Labels: When Guesses Turn Into Predictions

The NZ Government has proposed breed specific legislation that would prohibit animal shelters from re-homing ‘menacing’ breeds. These breeds would be identified solely based on appearance. This is a wonderful blog post on the subject of labeling of breeds. It’s certainly timely – since the City of Montreal has also proposed a ban on pit-bull type dogs (which has been temporarily stopped by the courts – with the Mayor of Montreal promising to fight to retain the law).

Fingers crossed for all rescues and dogs out there. These are challenging times.

As we travel around the country, having conversations with shelters and rescues about the “pit bull” dogs in their care, we find that there are always a few big a-ha! moments that help people understand that all dogs are individuals just a bit better.

One of the more exciting moments typically happens during our Labels & Language presentation where we discuss the role of breed labeling in shelters and the assumptions we make about dogs based on those labels.